Vietnam vets, relatives travel to wall at Thebes

THEBES, Ill. -- Willie Miller, 54, of Ullin, Ill., squatted down and traced his finger up and down the black, polished wall which seemed misplaced in the middle of a grassy baseball field.

The wall didn't seem to match the backdrop of the Mississippi River, the old railroad bridge, the campground and the older homes in the historic river town.

But for Miller, the traveling Vietnam veterans memorial wall was placed in the perfect location.

A 20-minute drive from his home was all that separated Miller from paying respects to his best friend, 20 years old at the time he was killed in combat.

All that Miller was looking for was one name among 58,229 others. He found it -- Charles R. Horton.

"I was in basic training when he was in 'Nam," said Miller, remembering Horton. "I couldn't come home for his funeral because he wasn't a relative. But we were just like brothers and it really hurt me. I would never get to see his name if I had to go to Washington."

Like Miller, hundreds of people steadily, quietly streamed into Thebes Saturday, the third of four days that the traveling memorial was staged here. Some laid flowers at the base of the wall, many took photos and several used the side of a pencil to etch the imprint of a name onto a piece of paper. It was obvious Saturday that the wall is more than 58,000 names. It represented personal stories. It was chiseled proof that their loved ones were missed.

War and meaning

To others besides Miller, the multitude of names brought home the scope of the war.

"It seems so senseless to see all these names," said Dee Browning. "What did they all die for?"

The wall is a half-scale replica of the memorial in Washington, D.C.

Harlan Browning visited the wall at the nation's capital, but he visited Thebes Saturday anyway. He lost two high school buddies in the war, John Brimm and Bobby Allen. He lost another neighborhood friend, Bobby Crawford.

Likewise, Ronald Mueller had visited the memorial in Washington, D.C., but he brought his granddaughter to see the name of Mueller's third cousin, John P. Guttmann.

Danny Carter found the name of Dale J. Crittenberger, his supervisor who was killed less than two months before he was to be sent home.

The memorial was brought to Thebes thanks to the Thebes Junior Volunteers -- a group of children and youth who raised thousands of dollars to help people remember the victims of Vietnam.

Several of the children involved greeted the Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club, Chapter X from Paducah, Ky., early Saturday afternoon. Though rough looking with beards and bandanas, the motorcyclists appeared sincere when they hugged the youth and thanked them.

"We came up here to be supportive of the kids and to thank them for remembering," said David Council, known in the motorcycle club as "Shifter."

Lisa Hale, the director of the junior volunteers, said she was delighted with the work that the youth did and the response she has received in the last several days.

She said more than 1,000 people had attended the first two-and-a-half days, though she said there is no official count.

Having the traveling wall come to such a small town is unusual. It came about when Ada Osorio, now 17, wrote a letter on behalf of the group asking if the volunteers could sponsor the wall.

A year later, the wall became a reality, and the youth in the group now have a better sense of the sacrifice that was made during the war.

"I've learned that people really care about what happened even though it wasn't necessary to go over there and start that war," said Liza Zuniga, 14, a junior volunteer.

Linda Bevens, who is on the junior volunteer committee, said it is not yet known how much money the group raised to get the wall. She said the total proceeds will be counted at a later date. The group gathered at least $4,500 -- that's the cost of the wall alone.

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127